Slovak prime minister backs Sobotka’s “observer status” plan

Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, has backed an idea put forward
last week by his Czech counterpart Bohuslav Sobotka that non-eurozone
members could gain observer status at meetings of EU finance ministers.
Prime Minister Fico backed the idea at a joint-meeting of the Czech and
Slovak governments at Lednice Chateau in the Czech Republic on Monday. Mr
Fico said Slovakia was happy to have adopted the common European currency
and called the process “inclusive”. The Czech Republic does not yet
have the euro nor has a date been set for joining the eurozone.

Other issues on the agenda on Monday included cooperation in the area of
energy infrastructure, migration, the situation in Ukraine, and the
upcoming 25th anniversary of the Velvet Divorce – which saw the Czech
Republic and Slovakia split on January 1, 1993.